Southampton 3-3 Tottenham Hotspur: Spurs player ratings as Saints fight back from a two-goal deficit in a thriller | Premier League 2022-23
Tottenham Hotspur threw away a two-goal lead to draw 3-3 with Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday, March 18. Spurs took a 3-1 lead in the 74th minute and a victory seemed likely, but the Saints fought back admirably, scoring the equalizer in the 93rd minute.
Pedro Porro put Tottenham in front in the dying minutes of the first-half, but Che Adams leveled the scores just seconds after the restart.
Harry Kane and Ivan Perisic scored within 10 minutes of each other midway through the second half and the three points appeared to be in the bag for Antonio Conte's men.
However, Southampton had other plans. Theo Walcott scored their second goal moments after Perisic's strike, but they still needed another one to force a share of the spoils.
FT: Southampton 3-3 Tottenham.
2 defeats & 2 draws out of Tottenham's last 5 games. https://t.co/RnANlhvdV1
In the 91st minute, Pape Sarr unleashed a nasty challenge on Ainsley Maitland-Niles, conceding a penalty which James Ward-Prowse brilliantly placed into the top corner.
Tottenham have dropped points yet again and although they remain in fourth position for now, Newcastle United and Liverpool both have two games in hand over them.
Southampton, rooted at the foot of the table, earned a valuable point in their bid to survive in the Premier League.
Here are the player ratings for Tottenham Hotspur:
Fraser Forster - 6/10
Southampton tormented the Tottenham custodian in the second-half by putting three past him. No love lost between him and his former side there.
Cristian Romero - 6.5/10
The Argentine was stoic in defense, jumping into tackles and reading the game brilliantly to make three clearances and two interceptions.
Eric Dier - 6/10
Dier showed a great work ethic but was ultimately ineffective when Southampton turned on the heat.
Clement Lenglet - 6/10
The defender, on loan from Barcelona, wasted a glorious chance to score the winner in the final minute of stoppage-time by placing his header wide off the mark.
Pedro Porro - 8/10
Porro kept Southampton's defense honest with intelligent passes and scored the game's opener in the dying embers of the opening stanza.
Pedro Porro's first-half by numbers vs Southampton:
100% take-ons completed
100% tackles won
46 touches
3 duels won
3 shots
2 clearances
2 chances created
1 goal
0.55 xG
His first goal in a Spurs shirt. 👕 https://t.co/vCbmguKX5h
Oliver Skipp - 6.5/10
Skipp constantly moved the ball around and was key to winning back possession. He received the game's first booking in the 85th minute for stomping on Romeo Lavia.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg - 7/10
The Dane returned to his old stomping ground and while there was no triumph on his homecoming, he was still effective going forward. He completed 90% of his passes.
Ben Davies - N/A
He went off with an injury just 37 minutes after the kick-off.
Richarlison - N/A
The Brazilian also picked up an injury and limped off in tears after just three minutes.
Heung-min Son - 7/10
Son bagged an assist for Porro's goal with a perfectly weighted pass but was largely quiet after the break.
Harry Kane - 7/10
The striker was a non-factor in the opening half, but scored in the second with a lovely header. His aerial prowess is remarkable, highlighted by this interesting stat:
9 - Harry Kane has scored nine headed goals in the Premier League this season, equalling Duncan Ferguson's single-season record in the competition from 1997-98. Leap. https://t.co/FAM1XbaIns
Substitutes
Ivan Perisic (37' for Davies) - 7.5/10
He replaced the injured Davies and scored Tottenham's third goal of the evening.
Dejan Kulusevski (5' for Richarlison) - 6.5/10
The Swede provided the assist for Kane's goal with a lovely cross.
Emerson Royal (86' for Porro) - N/A
He was hardly seen during the frantic dying stages of the match.
Pape Sarr (86' for Kulusevski) - 4/10
He conceded the penalty against Southampton in stoppage-time with a rash challenge on Ainsley Maitland-Niles. Not the impact Conte was hoping to see from him.